Dinner Tonight: Barbecue Chicken

I’d always been scared of barbecue chicken. It was probably all those memories of dried-out chicken breasts lingering on negligent backyard grills. Why are those so bad? Turns out there is another way. All I did was cover a chicken leg (with all the glorious skin still on) with a chile rub. Then I sautéed it in a little butter on both sides until nicely browned, placed it in a preheated 375°F oven, and then coated it with a thick layer of barbecue sauce. I cooked it until the internal temperature hit about 140°, which is about 10 minutes. It came out juicy and succulent, with the spicy sauce dripping over every bite.

Where did this master sauce come from? The Joy of Cooking. Sure, the ingredient list is mighty long, and it’s probably far from authentic. But it has so much depth and character that you’d expect it to take hours to develop. Yet, this all was created from what was already in my pantry in about five minutes.

Dinner Tonight: Barbecue Chicken

About This Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons dry mustard

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons canola oil

Procedures

1

Toss everything in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until incorporated.